


That time Bill Tanner knew he wasn’t good enough

by Attasee



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Eve Moneypenny, F/M, Fluff, Gen, James Bond/Q Fluff, M/M, Shy Tanner, not good enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 23:26:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11092107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Attasee/pseuds/Attasee
Summary: Bill Tanner is perfect.Eve is wonderfulJames and Q are loved up.Alec is armed.





	That time Bill Tanner knew he wasn’t good enough

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't supposed to write this. I was supposed to complete the next installment of the Q Branch file.  
> Then I read another story c/o Flantastic.  
> Then a conversation happened.  
> Then this happened.  
> For those that do find it enjoy some Eve and Tanner.
> 
> ****This piece of work is completely separate from the Q Files****

Bill Tanner knew he wasn’t good enough

He wasn’t a trained operative.

He didn’t really like handling a weapon.

Like Q, his specialities lay in other areas.

The M16 rebuild? That was him.

The media cover up after 007’s singlehanded near destruction of Mexico? That was him.  

Keeping M from retiring the Double 0's? That was him too.

None of it mattered though, because Tanner knew that he would never be good enough.

Not for her anyway.

He saw her every day. Even on the weekends like today when they _‘should’_ be on downtime.

Today she was wearing blue skinny jeans, a faded black Rolling Stones t-shirt, blue converse, and Tanner has never seen her looking more beautiful.

“Bill?” The word - his name - rolls off her tongue gently. “You’re here.”

Of course he was there. Where else would he be at 4pm on a Saturday (except maybe HQ). “Yes. They promised me beer and pizza if I helped out,” he replied with a nod of his head towards the newly cohabiting Quartermaster and his Double 0. “They want my lifting skills apparently. Did they bribe you as well?”

Eve chuckled. “No… I volunteered. I’m babysitting their two shithouse cats and when I asked who else had been roped in and they said you and Alec, I came along.”

Tanner nodded in reply. It made sense really. Her being here and knowing who was coming. Alec had been about longer and was built like a Sherman tank – the man was a walking killing machine. Bill knew damn well he could never compete with that.

“Shall we go and see where they want us to start?”

“You do realise Bill we are going to be used as glorified pack horses?”

“I think I’m more donkey than pack horse Moneypenny.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Not one of them has a clue what they are doing. Q looks like his head is about to explode, Bond looks like he needs a whiskey and Alec has come armed and apparently has a date in an hour.”

Bill sighed and looked across the room at the trio of men. She was right of course.

Alec was clearly armed in multiple places.

Q was staring at his phone.

Bond had a beer in his hand.

“I bet you’ve already mentally inventoried the contents of their flat and decided on a packing order for the truck.”

“I….”

“Oh Bill darling. You are quite wonderful aren’t you?”

 

Eve was right. Obviously not the part about him being ‘wonderful’, but they had needed him to sort the whole move out from one side of London to the other. Even with Alec buggering off half way through the day to go on his date, it had still taken them half a day to load the van and the other half to unload the contents at Bond and Q’s new penthouse apartment across town.

“You know Tanner, I’m not sure we could have done this without you,” Q said with a slur.

“Of course you would have,” Bill huffed back. It was obvious their Quartermaster was not used to drinking. 

“Nope! I’m serious.”   

“Q’s right T, if you hadn’t of helped we’d of still been packing Q’s stuff up now.”

Bill shook his head at James. “You and Q are friends 007, it’s what friends do.”

“Even organise the police escort across town on a Saturday?”

“That was-.”

“Genius.”

“A stroke of genius.”

“M will kick my arse if he finds out,” Bill admitted wearily. It had been fun though – probably the most fun he had had in a while. He and Bond had driven in the van, while Q and Eve had brought up the rear in Bond’s (Qs) Aston. The looks they had gotten as the motorcade had passed Buckingham Police had been worth it alone.

“I’ll deal with M.”

“I can deal with him myself Eve,” Bill replied. Eve’s intentions were well placed and Bill was flattered. But he knew she was in no way obligated to help him - although dealing with M over an unauthorised police escort was never going to be top of his list of things to do on a Monday morning. “It’s not like I haven’t brok-.”

“He won’t find out. I’ve already wiped the call log and any evidence that it was us,” Q interrupted before wrapping his arms around Bond’s waist.  Bill suspected the man had done it purely to stay upright. “You did us a favour. We pay it back.”

“I…”

“Bill, come on. Let’s leave these two alone. It’s obvious they want to christen their new apartment.”

Bill looked across at the two men now making googly eyes at one another and nodded his head at Eve in agreement. “They are certainly in love,” he whispered.

“It’s very cute.”

“It is yes.”

Bill let Eve take the lead and before he realised what was happening she had usher him out of the apartment and away from the complex just as Q looked like he is about to climb Bond’s body.

“They certainly are quite together aren’t they?” Bill asked as the now illuminated London skyline caught his eye. He hadn’t realised how late it was, the sun having apparently set hours before. The city really was quite beautiful sometimes. “It took me a little by surprise the two of them but they are quite perfect for one another.”

“They each have a positive influence on the others behaviour.”

“They are each other’s anchor...”

“Bill… That’s… that’s… rather… beautiful.”

“You think?” Bill chuckled to himself. He is only making an observation. Bond and Q were right for one another. He on the other hand will probably never find anyone like that. Not anytime soon anyway. Not if he couldn't stop dreaming about the woman stood next to him.

“You are an absolute darling Bill. I do wish you could see that sometimes.”

“I’m just me.”

“You’re bloody perfect.”

_“Eve.”_

“I’m serious you know – I know you don’t believe me but I am. You think… you think you aren’t good enough because you’re not a field agent – well neither am I… I completely balls’d the field agent stuff up by shooting an agent, and that’s okay - kind of. Some of us like being the front line but some of us – me - you – work better behind the scenes. Without us there would be no front line.”

“I think you mean without Q there would be no front line,” Bill snorted.

“No.” Eve shook her head. “Us. All of us.”

At some point Eve had slipped her arm into his and they had stopped walking. Now stood by the Thames under a street light Bill realised Eve was touching him and her hands where warm against his chest. “That... that still doesn’t make me perfect.”

“Oh Bill.”

“Moneypenny. You… I…”

“Come here you.”

The kiss was light and brief as was the hand placed at the back of his neck. “Eve…?”

“You’re a silly man at times. You think I want action and – let me guess Alec right?” Bill didn’t reply. He couldn't, not with Eve so close. “Well I don’t. Never have.”

The second kiss was firmer and Bill could feel it from his toes, the bits in the middle, to the top of his head.

The third followed quickly after that.

The fourth, fifth, sixth just rolled into one.

“I didn’t…”

“You are simply wonderful Bill.”

“I am?”

The seventh or was it the eighth kiss answered that and Bill was suddenly out of breath because for some reason Eve was looking at him like he had hung the moon. 

“Food, more beer then my place?”

“Anything. Only if you are sure...?” Bill’s voice was shaky and he was pleased that it held. This was… he couldn't...

Eve chuckled. “Oh my god I'm 150% sure. Are you okay? Are you sure?”

“Yes. No. This is… I’ve… I’m not goo-.”

“Bill Tanner you are absolutely perfect.” 


End file.
